This invention relates to a programmable high voltage analog multiplex or de-multiplexer switch integrated circuit for ultrasound scanning image system, and more particularly, to an array of high voltage analog switches used for multiplexing or de-multiplexing between, for example, 64 transmitting/receiving channels of a high voltage ultrasound transmit pulse generator and ultrasound echo signal receiver to the 192 piezoelectric or capacitive-electrostatic elements in the ultrasound transducer probe in an ultrasound B-scan or a color image system.
Ultrasound medical imaging or nondestructive testing (NDT) application have a growing demand for more sophisticated excitation waveforms and sequential scanning method for large number of piezoelectric or capacitive-electrostatic elements array connected to the limited excitation source and echo signal receiver channels. A cost effective way for such system design is to directly use an array of high voltage analog switches forming multiplexer and de-multiplexer to connect the transducer elements in the probe and the transmitter/receiver channels. The commonly used ultrasound probe array contains 128, 192 or 256 piezoelectric or capacitive-electrostatic elements. These elements need to connect and work with 64 or 128 transmitter and receiver channels. Therefore it requests an array of 2:1 or 3:1 multiplexer or de-multiplexer in a very small size integrated circuit device. However the recent available high voltage switch integration lever of 8 or 16 switch channels per IC devices are no long meeting the application design and implementation requirement.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a circuit and method that overcomes the above problems. The circuit and method would be a high voltage analog multiplexer or de-multiplexer switch array integrated circuit device architecture topology for meeting these system design requirements.
An integrated circuit high voltage analog switch has digital logic-level control interface circuit. A level translator is coupled to the digital logic-level control interface circuit. A plurality of output multi-channel high voltage switches is coupled to the level translator.
The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the disclosure or may be combined in yet other embodiments,